Machine for buttoning boots



(No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 1. J. KEITH.

MACHINE FOR BUTTONING BOOTS.

No. 360,021. I Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

N PETERS Plwm-Lnhu m har. Washington. a. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 2.

J. KEITH.

MACHINE FOR BUTTONING BOOTS.

No. 360,021. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

' /f: I aiti (No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 3.

J. KEITH.

MACHINE FOR BUTTONING BOOTS.

No. 360,021. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

Fy'yo'.

Y 1] Q Q q P V sses- Mam J rem/Ila e '6 M at'.

N. PETERS, Phnm-Lnnu n hu. Washlllglun. D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. KEITH.

MACHINE FOR BUTTONING BOOTS. No. 360,021. Patented Mar. 29', 1887.

Fig.9..

B c I a: A 11) r 1 Z .1, (E@Eh z @N L lfl a -/J- 0 &

' Ina/e n; 7" 71 i dare 61 N. PETERS PhoOo-Lxlhogrlpher. Washmglcll. nv c.

4 be described.

NTTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

MACHlNE FOR BUTTONING BOOTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,021, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed October 4, 1886. Serial No. 215,214.

To all whom it may concern.-

(No model.)

The feeder represented at G is pivoted to Be it known that I, JEREMIAH KEITH, of avibratory arm, I), and forced downward upon North Middleborough, in the county of Plymouth, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Buttoning Boots; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a top view, Fig. 2 a front elevation, and Figs. 3 and 4. opposite side elevations, of a machine embodying my invention, the nature of which is defined in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 5 is a top view of it with a boot applied to or arranged with it for being buttoned. Fig.6 isatopview of the buttoneye holder and parts of its operative mechanism. Fig. 7 is an edge view of the supporting-lever of such button-holder and its mechanism for moving it lengthwise, while Fig. 8 is an elevation ofpart of such mechanis1n,to

Fig. 9 is a top view of the machine as it appears with its front guide and its connections, with the rear guide removed from the latter, such being to enable the machine to be used with a shoe or bootheld up to theguide by an attendant, as hereinafter mentioned.

The machine is to automatically and successively engage the buttoning-holes of the fly of a button-boot with the buttons of such boot, all of which before myinvention has generally been effected by manual labor, assisted in some cases by an ordinary buttoning-hook.

In the drawings, A denotes the stand for sus taining the main operative parts of the machine, such stand being provided with a driv ing-shaft, B, dulyjournaledto it, and furnished with a grooved pulley, 0, about which a belt is to run for revolving the said shaft. Fixed to the stand, at its front, is a flat and curved guide, D, having arranged in advance of and at a short distance from it another such guide, E, which is supported by two arched bridges, F, connecting it with the guide D, and arranged as represented. The space between the two guides is for reception of the eyes of the several buttons, the heads of such buttons resting on the upper edges of both guides. As the shoe is intermittingly advanced by the feeder the button-heads pass through the bridges, both of the guides, at their inner ends, being curved or bent upward, as shown at a in Fig. 2.

the guides D and E by a spring, 0, properly applied to such feeder and arm. The arm is fixed to and projects downward from a rockshaft, d, j ournaled in the stand A and arranged therewith, as represented. To thisrock-shaft a reciprocating motion is given by mechanism which I shall now proceed to explain. A rod, 6, adapted to slide vertically in a gui(le,f, projecting from the stand, is at its upper end jointed to an arm, 9, that turns freely on the rock-shaft and extends between two verticallyadjustable abutments, h and 1', carried by another arm, k, firmly fixed to the said rockshaft, and extends therefrom, as represented.

To an arm, Z, projected from the rod e, and to a crank-pin, m, extending from the grooved driving-pulley O, a connecting-rod, n, is pivoted. \Vhile the pulley is revolving a reciprocatory vibrating motion will be imparted to the arm 1), whereby the feeder will be moved over and in rear of each button in succession, and will be made to push it and the boot forward until the button may rest upon the bent parts a of the two guides D and E. On attaining such position the button will be caught and held therein by the holder H, which is arranged directly underneath the guide D. This holder is shown particularly in Fig. 6, it being, near its front end, notched, as represented in such figure, to catch upon the button-eye. It is a lever fulcrumed to the guide and jointed to a long lever, l, which in turn is fulcrumed to an arm, K, pivoted to the stand A, and arranged therewith as shown, such arm being provided with an adjustable stop, 0, to bring up against the vertical part of the stand. For moving the lever I forward there is against its rear end a cam or inclined plane, 1), projecting from a carrier, q, formed as shown particularly in Fig. 8, and jointed at its lower part to the slide-rod e. In moving upward, the carrier is moved against a cam, 1', arranged as represented in Fig. 8, whereby the inclined plane 1) is moved forward, so that on the next descent of the carrier such inclined plane will be forced against the next adjacent end of the lever I, and will push such lever forward, after which the inclined part a of the carrier will be moved against a stationary stud, s, and will produce a counter lateral motion of the carrier, such as will draw the inclined plane away from the lever I, to allow such lever to be retracted by a spiral spring, w, attached to it and the stand. (See Fig. 3.) Thus by means as described the button-holder at the proper time will be made to catch upon a button-eye, in order to aid in holding the button stationary while the shoe-flap is being buttoned upon it, after which the said holder will be moved out of engagement with the button, to admit of it being moved from between the guides while the shoe is being next advanced by the feeder. The shoe-buttoning flap with its button-holes extends over the buttons, and immediately after each of them has been advanced by the feeder and caught by the holder there are depressed upon the flap, on opposite sides 7 of the bntton-hole,two buttoners or buttoningfingers, M and N, arranged as represented. The outer one ofsnch fingers-viz. ,thatmarked Mis a lever fulcrumed to the stand and provided at its rear end with a spiral spring, 00, for pulling such end downward. This lever, by a connecting-rod, 1, isjoined to an arm, .2, extending from the rock-shaft.

The finger N is jointed to the finger M and bears upward against a spring, a, fixed to the latter. In descending, the fingers will be borne down upon the button-fly and will crowd it upon the button, so as to cause such button to enter the button-hole, after which the fingers will rise to allow of the boot being again advanced by the feeder, each button of the boot being in succession made to enter the fly, or to have such fly buttoned upon the said button. If desirable, the rod 6 may be operated by a treadle duly applied to'it, rather than by an endless band going around the .drivingwheel. In some cases the outer guide and its connections with the inner one may be dispensed with, in which case the shoe would have to be held on or to the guide by the hands of an attendant.

The essential characteristics of the said machine are the supporting-stand, the guides, the feeder, the button-holder, and the buttoners or fingers, together with the mechanisms for operating such feeder, holder, and fingers, as set forth.

I therefore claim 1. The machine, substantially as described, consisting of the supporting-stand, two stationary guides, feeder, button-holder, and buttoners or fingers arranged and provided with mechanisms, essentially as specified, for operating the said feeder, button-holder, and buttoners or fingers, in manner and for the purpose as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A machine composed of the supportingstand, the single stationary shoe and buttonguide, and the feeder, button-holder, and the buttoners or fingers provided with mechanisms, essentially as described, for operating them, (the said feeder, button-holder, and buttoners,) substantially and for the purpose as represented.

JEREMIAH KEITH.

\Vitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, R. B. TORREY. 

